I look back on the past four years and ask myself how I could have managed everything that happened during those years. The answer is - I couldn't have done it alone and I thank those who gave me help and support. To Martina, thank you for helping me work with the "good girl" in me.
Read: I thank Martina for helping me work with the "good girl" in me
I became a caregiver overnight and I knew nothing about this job or the various options for help and support. For the first few months, when Mum was more self-sufficient, it worked quite well without any help, albeit with the occasional squeak, but Mum's deteriorating condition required more and more help.
Read: It would be very difficult for me to take care of my mother (88) without you
In 2019, after caring for my mother for many years, I went through a huge crisis when I went through burnout syndrome, left my job for many years and ended up on disability pension after a serious accident.
Read: Without Martina, I'd probably end up in the hands of other professionals.
The way you discussed in detail with me at our first joint information meeting what our current support options were, both from social care and home health care. How you also actively sought out my needs as a carer, which is no less important at the time.
Read: Petra, you've been a great support to me from the beginning
I first contacted you about a year and a half ago. I wanted assistance for my mother. We didn't get along then. Because of me. I was really just looking for "babysitting" on an irregular basis. However, a conversation (about an hour) with you was crucial for me. I started thinking differently and looking at my options.
